The present invention relates generally to optical processing systems, and, more particularly, to an improved optical processing system having three real-time devices as well as computer control.
Coherent optical data processing has been known for a number of years. Optical systems deal with the two-dimensional blocks of data present in input objects and process this information in parallel using Fourier transformation techniques. The advent of an all solid-state image device called a PROM (Pockels Readout Optical Modulator) as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,517,206 to D. S. Oliver has allowed a significant improvement in coherent optical processing systems.
A two PROM optical processing system has been described in the article by Sato Iwasa entitled "Optical Processing: A Near Real-Time Coherent System Using Two Itek PROM Devices", Applied Optics, Vol. 15, No. 6, June 1976, pp. 418-424.